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Meet the man behind MC Magic

Marco Cardenas, also known as MC Magic, brought his talent from Nogales, to Tucson, to Phoenix. Now he's a internationally-known artist.

PHOENIX - As a young boy in Nogales, Marco Cardenas, also known as MC Magic, was your typical boy. Around the fifth grade his parents split, and he and his family moved to an apartment in Tucson.

"My neighbor's name was Marco. We said we would create a group called Los Marcos," said Cardenas.

That was one of his first memories of how music influenced him.

"I was in the 8th grade and a girl asked if I knew a DJ for her party. I fronted, I lied and said I was a DJ," he said. "Her mom advanced me $20 and I went to buy music. Then at her party I put her stereo system with mine, and that's when I thought, 'I've got something here.'"

But things were rough for Cardenas in the beginning. He remembers being at the swap meets in Phoenix, making Birthday Raps for $20 a piece. He never lost focus of where he wanted to be. That money he collected helped him launch his first CD.

Not long after he formed the band "Nasty Boy Klick," which released a song titled, "Down for Yours".

"I took the song to Don Parker, a local Radio station Program Director, and he thought, 'hey, this is pretty good. After playing the song on air, it became an instant hit. Don told me, 'Record labels will be interested.'"

Things took off from there.

But Magic would soon part ways with Nasty Boy Klick for professional reasons. NB Ridaz told him to go solo.

Since then, he's headlined concerts all over the United States and the world.

"I tell everyone to be themselves. Remember that the hits you hear today are produced 6 months ago, so you mimicking these songs or artists will never work because these hits are old by then. Be yourself, and do things out of love."

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